Blessed We Be

In general we live paycheck to paycheck. I have a chart that tells me exactly what day the bills get paid and with what paycheck they get paid with. I can also tell in each pay period if we are going to be tight on money or have some extra. Yes I am an organized geek. But for the last 4-5 years we have been living very tight, and this geekness has kept us in the black.

It was not uncommon for our finances to be so low that I would wait 3-6 days for payday to come around. Only then did I have enough money to go grocery shopping or put gas in a car. Anyone who lives like this will tell you it's not fun. It was life though, especially with all the financial demands of Squeaker's medical care we just didn't have much choice in the matter.

Over the last year as we have decreased our credit card debt through student loans and a refinance debt reduction loan. So yes we are still carrying debt but with lower monthly payments and much lower APRs. This has opened up our cash so we can stop using credit cards for gasoline and groceries. We don't use our Credit Cards of anything else anymore either. If we don't have the cash we don't buy it. (baring emergencies- Like new tires for the van when one blew out on the interstate)We are also to take some of our freed cash to "snowball" our debt.

Well we still live paycheck to paycheck with a small savings now. We most certainly we can't live a month without a job. Today though we hit a mile stone. We forgot it was payday. For years I looked forward to payday and had every dollar planned and prayed it would all work. Today I was half way through breakfast before I remembered. Trey forgot entirely until I told him I had paid the bills. It's not like there was a ton of money in bank account but there was enough to buy the basics and fill up my van. I didn't even have to think about it. WHAT A BLESSING!!

You may say well you worked hard for it and deserve it. That is true but I know Heavenly Father is looking out for us. He lead Trey to school as a certain time, and we tried several times to get a debt reduction loan until we found one that actually worked for us. It has also helped that Trey has been getting double bonuses from work as a retention bonus.

We still have a long way to go before we are truly debt free but what a relief it is not have make $5 last 6 days. We still have to watch our spending but to know the basics are covered, yeah I'll take it. :)

Assemble The....

MINIONS!!!!

Aren't they the cutest little Minions?! Squeaker loved having cousin Naomi around to go Trick or Treating with.

Naps...

If the craziness of this month has taught me only one thing it is the importance of naps. Squeaker is still on medically mandated naps which is pretty cool as a parent. Each day I get a break or sometimes a nap. It's pretty cool. But there are days where life just doesn't permit the time for a nap. I have always tried to keep it too a minimum.

This last month has been a whole land of crazy. With a random weekend trip to Florida, having family come in, doctors appointments, and then just life on top of it there have been more days without nap than I would like. Boy was it nuts, but I learned. I learned that if Squeaker misses more than 3 naps in a 7 day period she will be miserable and tired for about a week. If she misses 2 in a row it takes a week to recover.

Pretty much I have a 1 day lee-way. If we miss one nap it's okay. If we try to push her it never works out for us.

So for now I am guaranteed a break each day, the positives to all the crazy I deal with. :)

Even The 4 Year Old

Even the 4 year old can tell that infusion is working. The last two month or so Squeaker's infusion hasn't be lasting all week. She has it Monday night and then by Friday she is starting to act sick. Saturday, Sunday and Monday just all stink in many ways. Lots of temper-tantrums, meltdowns, and lack of sleep. Its just a loooooong few days. Then Tuesday morning Squeaker wakes up cheery, happy and she is less likely to melt down. With the flick of a swtich life is good again, then over the week the light burns out.

Last week was just awful. With Squeaker fighting a cold, an unexpected trip to Florida over the weekend. Oh goodness it's just been so hard. Then last night was Infusion. Or course Squeaker pitched a bit of a fit. But it was said and done soon enough. This morning was Magic Tuesday again. Yes Squeaker is still a little sick, she just can't shake this cold. But there have been few melt downs but nothing major. Then around 1pm Squeaker and I had this conversation.
Squeaker: "Fusion today?"
Me: "No. 6 more days."
Squeaker: (Agitated) "But fusion today."
Me: "Not today sweetie."
Squeaker: (Stamping her feet) "Fusion"
Me: "Why do you want fusion."
Squeaker: "Fusion feel better. I feel better."
Me: "Does fusion make you feel better so you want more fusion so you can feel even better."
Squeaker: "Yeah. More better."

Not only was it just awesome for her to put her thoughts into words. But she gets it! I know she hates having needles stuck in her belly every week. Honestly who would. But that she understood what "fusion" does for her is just amazing. She really is a smart little kiddo.